Former Super Eagles captain and coach Sunday Oliseh has joined the celebrations over Nigeria's Flamingos, who won the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco and became the first African nation to lift the trophy, according to Pulse Nigeria.
Oliseh, a former midfielder, posted his congratulations on his X account. He said he watched almost every match of the campaign and named the group-stage win over defending champions North Korea as his favourite.
What Oliseh wrote
Oliseh wrote on X: "Congratulations Flamingos, i saw almost every game and the North Korea game was my favourite. You just made my year! These girls got pace, football intelligence, hunger to succeed, and a great team spirit. May God surprise you positively like you did us, Nigerians. Bravo sisters! The world applauds you."
Pulse Nigeria reported that he was especially impressed by the players' pace, football intelligence, hunger and collective spirit. The report does not give the exact time of the post.
How the Flamingos got there
The run began badly, with a 2-1 defeat to Poland in the opening group game. Nigeria then recovered to beat Puerto Rico and North Korea and progress from the group.
In the knockout stages the Flamingos overcame Mexico and Venezuela, then beat Brazil 3-1 to reach their first World Cup final.
In Saturday's final in Rabat, Nigeria beat Japan 2-1. Awawu Bashiru broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, and Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead shortly after the restart. Fuki Ito pulled one back for Japan, but the Nigerian side held on to claim the trophy.
The victory is described as a landmark for Nigerian women's football and African youth football, since the Flamingos are the continent's first champions of the competition. Oliseh's tribute adds to the celebrations and the fresh recognition for Nigeria's next generation of female footballers.
